Juventus were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at Verona on Saturday, moving provisionally top of Serie A but missing the chance to extend their lead.
Francisco Conceicao put Juve ahead with a superb long-range strike after 19 minutes, but Gift Orban equalised from the penalty spot before halftime. Verona thought they had found a winner through Suat Serdar’s header, only for VAR to rule it out for offside in the buildup.
Juve boss Igor Tudor was frustrated with the officiating, calling Verona’s penalty decision “incomprehensible” and insisting Orban should have been dismissed for an elbow on Federico Gatti. “We lacked energy, but I have nothing to reproach my players for, they gave everything they had,” Tudor said.
The result leaves Juve on 10 points, one ahead of Napoli, with AC Milan close behind after a 3-0 win at Udinese.
Christian Pulisic starred for Milan, scoring twice and setting up Youssouf Fofana for the other. The American opened the scoring just before halftime, assisted Fofana in the 46th minute, and then finished a counter-attack on 53 minutes to seal victory.
Milan’s third straight win lifts them above Napoli on goals scored, at least until the champions face Pisa on Monday.
Elsewhere, Bologna came from behind to beat Patrick Vieira’s Genoa 2-1, with Riccardo Orsolini’s last-gasp penalty clinching the points after Mikael Egill Ellertsson’s opener and Santiago Castro’s clever equaliser.
What you should know
Juventus top Serie A despite being held at Verona, but Milan are hot on their heels after a Pulisic-inspired 3-0 win. With Napoli still to play, the early title race is shaping up tightly.
